The First Four Months
by JenKristo
Summary: Ranma x Ryouga slash. When Ranma wakes from a mysterious blackout, something is terribly wrong with her and she can't recall how it happened. Ryouga is traumatized and severely injured and refuses to tell anyone what took place.
1. Missing

Author's Note: I have a good basis for a plot in mind, beginning to end, so this story will go somewhere. Hopefully I will finish it in reasonable time. Enjoy, and don't forget to read the warning at the end.

Yeah… it's short. shrugs

The First Four Months

1

Ranma ran along the fence at top speed towards the school, with P-Chan following behind. She was slightly annoyed from the morning occurrences; first Akane didn't bother waking her up, and then herself and Ryouga tripped over Mr. Tendo while he was watering his plants and ended up soaked, turning into their other forms. Now she would have to find hot water somewhere for Ryouga _and_ try not to be late for school.

"This is your fault, _P-chan_!" yelled Ranma at the black pig. "We wouldn't be late if you hadn't made us trip over Mr. Tendo's hose!

Ranma looked down from the pig to a speeding vehicle. A grey van quickly approached them from the road below, but suddenly everything in Ranma's vision went black.

Ranma's head pounded painfully as she opened her eyes. She sat up from the sidewalk where she had been laying, not far from the fence she and P-chan had been running along. The sky had transformed from clear blue to the blended orange and pink of dusk. The most surprising thing of all was the shaking in her legs as she got to her feet. Her whole body felt bruised.

"Who the heck did I battle this time?" she wondered.

"RANMA," cried Akane as Ranma walked through the sliding doors of the Tendo Dojo. "Oh my goodness, everyone's been looking for you! Where have you been?"

Akane embraced Ranma, letting her girly, gushing tears pour down her cheeks.

"Looking for me?" Ranma asked questioningly. "I've been gone longer than this before, and no one's even noticed! What's it been? From the look of the sky it couldn't have been more than eight, maybe nine hours."

"Nine hours?" she gasped, "You're kidding, right? You've been missing for almost a week!"

"What! No way! I blacked out after… but not for a week! There's no way I'm _that_ pathetic! Where's Ryouga? He should know what's going on. Or has he been missing too? What about P-chan?"

"Ryouga has been crazy worried about you! He called from the hospital two days after you disappeared. I couldn't believe how badly he looked when I went to see him."

"Ha," laughed Ranma. "Any missing teeth? You should see the bruise on my arm. It looks like a…"

"Ranma!" yelled Akane, "He has two cracked ribs and a fractured femur!"

Author's Note: WARNING: If you figure out any surprises, keep it to yourself! If you guess, and give anything away on the reviews page, I will TERMINATE this story! Sorry… I'm just not good with surprises and it'll break my heart if you all figure it out. I do love reviews though… they keep me happy and typing.


	2. Broken Bones

2

Ranma peered into the room where Ryouga sat, propped up by dozens of pillows. He was staring down at the cast on his leg, clearly focused on something else. It was the 'deep thought' look that kept Ryouga from noticing the crowded commotion in the room, consisting of Akane's sisters, her father, and even a large, silent panda.

Akane walked in and tugged at Ranma's sleeve to follow.

"He's back everyone!" said Akane cheerfully, "Or 'she' is, at the moment. Ranma, why are you still a girl?"

Ranma looked down at her own chest and scratched her head.

"Dunno, really."

"Ranma," said Ryouga with a worried tone, "I am so sorry about what happened. Are you alright?"

Ranma walked over to him and poked his forehead.

"Why wouldn't I be? But look at you! What the heck happened? Who attacked us?"

Ryouga's eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't remember," he whispered.

Akane looked around the room and frowned. "Alright everybody, I think Ryouga and Ranma need to talk." She shuffled the crowd out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, all I remember is a van chasing us along the fence, and then I woke up this evening on the same block. So what happened?" repeated Ranma.

Ryouga's bottom lip quivered as he covered his face.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Come on. You're such a big baby. Don't cry again!"

"I can't tell you," said Ryouga.

"What! You think I can't handle it or somethin'?"

Ryouga looked down at his cast, carefully keeping his eyes away from Ranma.

"I've never felt so much pain."

Ranma's heart softened a bit at the words. She felt slightly ashamed of herself for chastising him about crying.

"Your leg… and your ribs… that must have hurt a lot."

"No."

Before Ranma could reply, an ugly, foreign female doctor with a crooked nose swung open the door.

"I smell you all the way down hall!" she growled, "You stink of dirty! Have you been sleeping on street, like dog! Get away from my patient! Go take shower!"

She shoved Ranma through a door in the corner of the room into a tiny bathroom. Ranma didn't even get to yell her protest before the door swung closed. Ranma sighed and pulled off her clothes as she turned on the shower. She stepped in and let the steamy water rush over her skin. It was good to be the old self again. After a good scrub, Ranma stepped out of the shower and turned toward the mirror to examine a knot in the bangs. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked at her female form. The shower was back on in a flash, and Ranma was back in it. She turned the water up as hot as it would go, with no success.

"AAAAHHHH!" she screamed.

Soon there were numerous knocks on the door as Akane and the rest tried to find out what horrible thing had happened. Ranma opened the door and stormed over to Ryouga with just a towel wrapped around her. She grabbed the collar of his hospital shirt.

"Who fought us? Whatever they did made me stuck as a woman! Why aren't you stuck, Ryouga?"

"Stuck? Stuck as what?" asked Akane.

"N-nothing! Nothing!" said Ryouga as he glared at Ranma, "Ranma, I have no idea how that happened. We must have separated before that. I was only with you for a day before I tried to… ugh! I can't tell you anymore!"

"Err! Your secrets suck! SUCK!"

Ranma stomped over to the bathroom and grabbed her clothes, then turned and left the room without bothering to change into them. She turned back at everyone in the room to say a final word.

"We need to find a cure."


	3. Narough Gateh

READ THIS! Author's Note: I know my chapters have been short. I just make each scene a chapter, long or short. To make you all happy, I combined two scenes for part three, also because the second scene is extra short. The next one might be shorter or longer. Who knows! But either way, please don't stress over it. Anyway, thank you for all your reviews! And pleeeeease, don't try to guess what happens. Guesses turn me into a flesh-eating ogre!

3

One Month Later…

The rain poured outside as Ranma sat on the couch beside Ryouga, who had his cast propped up on the coffee table. The house was unusually quiet due to the Tendo family taking a trip to honor Mr. Tendo's deceased wife. She would have gone too but decided it was better to stay with Ryouga, who couldn't manage the trip with his injuries. Ranma flipped through the TV stations, and stopped at a cooking channel where a man was preparing a delicious looking batch of sushi.

"No cure yet, I see," said Ryouga as he glanced at Ranma's red hair.

"Not yet, but I'll find it."

"Think the cure is in sushi?"

Ranma growled and turned off the TV. "It would be a lot easier if you could just tell me who did it. Then I could go beat the cure out of him… or her, or them, I have no idea because you're being a zipper mouth!"

Ryouga quickly sat up from the couch and almost stood on his broken leg but was stopped by a shooting pain from the healing ribs.

"I just thought of something!" said Ryouga as he winced, "It's so important, I can't believe I forgot. I need you to get Shampoo. I have to warn her!"

Ranma sighed, "I'd ask, but you wouldn't tell, so I'll just go get her like a good gopher. Let me borrow your umbrella."

Ranma stood and walked to the far side of the room where Ryouga's red umbrella was propped against the wall. She grabbed hold of the handle and tugged, but it wouldn't budge.

"Holy crap this is heavy! I think I'll just run. It's not like cold water does anything anymore."

"If you get wet, you might get some extra attention from Happosai," said Ryouga jokingly.

Ranma's cheeks reddened as she left the house, ignoring Ryouga's teasing. She soon returned with a joyous Shampoo. They ran out of the rain and Ranma quickly grabbed two towels from the kitchen.

"I no find cure for you yet, but will! If Shampoo find cure, Ranma date with Shampoo!"

"Yeah whatever," said Ranma as she sat her down next to Ryouga. "Ryo's got something to tell you bout. I assume I need to leave now?"

Ryouga nodded and Ranma left. Through the door she listened to the whispers back and fourth, and the occasional gasp from Shampoo. Finally, Shampoo slid open the door and walked past Ranma, but paused when Ryouga yelled after her.

"They're too much for you!" yelled Ryouga, "Don't go!"

"Shampoo is Amazon warrior!"

"No!" yelled Ryouga back.

Ranma grabbed Shampoo's arm before she walked out the door.

"Tell me what's happening," she pleaded.

Shampoo touched Ranma's face and gave a half-hearted smile. "Poor Ranma. This is about Shampoo too. She has own business to deal. You stay out."

Shampoo left the house and Ranma went back to Ryouga. Ryouga looked terribly worried.

"Is she going?" he asked.

"I think maybe."

"Damn it! If it wasn't for these stupid broken bones I would be able to stop her! …Or help her. Damn it all!"

Ryouga slammed his fist into the couch, leaving a little welt in the leather. With an unfamiliar emotion bubbling, Ranma felt something inside her; the man trying to escape. She wanted so badly to be her guy self, then she knew Ryouga would tell her. With her manliest effort, she put a strong hand on Ryouga's shoulder.

"I don't know what happened, but it started with us. We're friends, so it will end with us as well. I'm going to help you heal. Once you're strong enough, I'll train with you. By then we should already have the cure, so we can both go find whoever it is you're so worried about."

Ryouga's expression relaxed and he smiled without looking at Ranma.

"You don't have to try so hard, Ranma," said Ryouga.

"What?"

"To be yourself. I mean your real self. It shows no matter what you look like."

Ranma felt a grin growing on her face. Finally Ryouga looked at her, and for a moment they surprised each other; an unexpected awkwardness arising. They were immediately pulled out of the odd moment as Ranma screamed in surprise.

"Happosai get your grimy paws offa me!" yelled Ranma, "Aaah! You pervert!"

"I can't help it! You look great in wet clothes!" exclaimed the tiny old man. Ranma twisted and turned as the little man crawled out of her reach, and laughed as he pulled up the back of her shirt, exposing her back.

"Wha? What's that I see?"

Ranma finally caught Happosai and shoved him off.

"It's called a bra! Yeah, for once I felt like wearing one! What's the big deal? There's no way you're going to steal it!"

"No no! As much as I appreciate those silky darlings, I'm not talking about your bra! There's a mark on your back."

Ryouga sat up a little to get a closer look at Ranma's lower back. It was almost low enough to be covered by her pants, but it was definitely there.

"He's right, there is a mark," said Ryouga.

"Huh?" murmured Ranma as she twisted to try to see it.

"That's a genuine Narough-Gateh symbol! Oh dear, this isn't good."

Ryouga watched Happosai sit on the couch beside him, and then Ranma on the other side.

"The Narough-Gateh people were a very dangerous martial arts cult that existed during my extreme youth. They lived normal lives among the many villages, but met secretly in the forest for training and sacrificial ceremonies at certain times of the year. People young and old would randomly vanish, and were rarely found alive. When they were found alive, they were always severely mutilated; missing ears, eyes, tongues, sometimes their arms and legs. None of them ever had any clue to what had happened to them. The Narough-Gateh cult eventually vanished, and there were no more disappearances. Some say a disease wiped them out, but others believe they abandoned the greater part of their culture, and went back to their normal lives in the villages. It seems very probable from the look of Ranma's back that they continued to pass down the dark arts through generations. We have a very big problem if there are still Narough-Gateh people amongst us."

Ranma and Ryouga exchanged worried looks as Happosai slid off the couch.

"If they blocked Ranma's memory, they also caused him to be stuck as a girl, right?" asked Ryouga.

"I've never heard of anything like Ranma's situation," said Happosai, "I can't ignore the possibility that something they did had a reaction with Ranma's own 'Curse of the Drowned Girl'."

"What should we do?" asked Ranma.

"The only person I can think of that might possibly know a cure for a Narough-Gateh charm would be Dr. Tofu. The collection of books in his personal library is astonishing."

"Well let's go then!" said Ranma as she jumped to her feet. She looked at Ryouga's leg and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I should just go with Happosai."

Ryouga nodded in agreement. "Just come back quickly. I want to know what's happening."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Narough-Gateh you say!" said Dr. Tofu with surprise, "It seems highly unlikely that there are any left, but I will do my best to help you in case it's true."

"Thank's Doc," said Ranma. She just knew he was going to find a cure. She watched the Doctor skim passed a long line of books on a shelf. He paused once or twice, but finally turned around empty handed.

"Dear me," he said as a bead of sweat dropped down the side of his face. "I think I might have donated it."

"Donated it!" said Ranma in a panicked tone.

"Heh heh, yeah. I cleaned out my collection a few weeks ago and put the books I thought unnecessary into a box for this historical book museum. Their museums branch out all over, so it's unlikely that it can be recovered."

Ranma turned to Happosai. "We need to find this museum!"

Happosai turned back to Dr. Tofu again. "Before we take any more extreme measures, would you take a look at the mark to verify that it is in fact Narough-Gateh? It's always good to have a second opinion."

Dr. Tofu bent down and examined the mark on Ranma's back. "It's a genuine memory charm. The funny thing is I have no clue how that turned you into a female. I don't think sex changing is a part of the Narough-Gateh culture."

"Actually," admitted Ranma, "I already kind of had that problem. I fell in some cursed spring in china and now cold water turns me female, and hot water..."

"Turns you back," finished Dr. Tofu. "But now you can't turn back, and you think it has to do with the charm."

"Exactly," said Happosai.

Dr. Tofu tried to smile as he looked at Ranma. "I don't think I can help you with your female problem. You go home with Happosai and I'll make some phone calls. I'll do my best to track down the book, and I'll call you if I find out anything from the museum."

"Thank you Doctor," said Ranma as she moped her way to the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: There's so much to type! I can't wait to finish this for you all. I've got one specific chapter near the end that I really can't wait to type. Haha, I'm probably more excited than you guys. What a loser, lol! Read and Review please!


	4. Off the Couch

4

"What happened?" asked Ryouga when Ranma and Happosai arrived back at the Tendo house.

"Nothing happened," said Ranma grouchily.

"Dr. Tofu donated the book we need to a museum," said Happosai, "But really! Nobody minds if you stay female forever, Ranma." As he said this, he gave her rear end a supportive pat.

"Arrgh! You stay off!" yelled Ranma as she made a large bump on the old man's head. Happosai desperately looked towards the bewildered Ryouga for support as Ranma grabbed his shirt collar to punch him again.

"Come on Ryouga," pleaded Happosai, "She won't listen to ME because she thinks I'm a pervert!"

Ryouga frowned. "But you are a pervert…"

"But still! Ranma looks exquisite as a female! Don't you agree?"

Ranma stopped what she was doing as the embarrassment started to flood her insides. She slowly looked over at Ryouga, who was shifting uncomfortably on the couch. The flooding embarrassment rose to her burning cheeks as the room's silence grew heavier each second.

"Um, well…" murmured Ryouga as his face turned slightly pink, "I uh…"

"Well?" asked Happosai hopefully.

"Ranma looks great to me either way!" blurted out Ryouga at top speed.

That caught Ranma off guard, creating a swell of confusion in her brain. The awkwardness returned but she decided to end it quickly. "Well that settles it then, doesn't it, Happo? I don't have to be a chick to look good, so that means I can hit you for being a pervert!"

Before she could swing at him, the phone began to ring. Happosai took the opportunity and struggled out of Ranma's grasp to the phone.

"Hello, Tendo residence!" said Happosai exasperatedly into the handset. "Dr. Tofu? Hmm… I see. Ah well. We thank you for trying. Goodbye."

Ranma's curiosity took hold and she quickly forgot the issue with Ryouga. "What'd he say Happo?"

"Stop calling me that!" protested the little man, "Dr. Tofu called the central museum and they looked up the records in their archive. They sold the book at an auction to an anonymous buyer last week."

Ranma's heart sank. "I'm never going to find a cure."

Happosai rolled his eyes and headed for the front door. "Being a stunning broad for the rest of your days isn't that terrible of a fate. I wouldn't mind trading this old body for a nice female one."

Ranma laughed, "Yeah! You'd grope yourself silly, and then you'd go to the women's public bath and go haywire on the rest of them!"

Ryouga burst out laughing.

"I resent that, Ranma," said Happosai as he opened the front door, "I don't believe I can stay here any longer! Time for poor old me to go mope in the rain!"

Ranma shook her head as the door shut.

"Mope in the rain?" asked Ryouga, "That doesn't sound like him."

"More like 'Grope in the rain'!" said Ranma as she sat down on the couch.

Neither of them spoke after that, and again returned the tension. Ranma refocused on Ryouga's earlier statement about her, and wondered what in the world he was saying. She was annoyed with herself because she knew that being female messed with the brain; life was a shade less emotionally complicated for men. She probably would have dismissed it as friendly support if she was a man at the time, but she wasn't.

"So about earlier," she began, "You just said… what you said to get Happosai offa me, right?"

Ryouga scratched behind his ear nervously. "Y-yeah, that's what I was doing."

Ranma looked at the clock. "It's nearly 1:00 am. We should probably get some sleep. Let me help you up."

Ranma stood and grabbed Ryouga's arm to help him.

"I can get up myself, Ranma," said Ryouga as he tried to push himself off the couch. In the struggle to stand without Ranma's support, Ryouga accidentally let his cast slide off the table, landing hard on the floor with a clunk. He gasped from the pain and started to lose his balance. Ranma tried to keep him up but ended up making things worse, until finally they both stumbled back onto the couch, Ranma landing on top.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" said Ranma. She looked down at their position; their faces were barely inches apart, and she was almost completely straddling him.

'_I wonder what this would be like if I was my guy self_,' she thought curiously. As soon as the absurd thought entered her mind it vanished, and she quickly got to her feet.

'_I'm going nuts_!' she thought, "_This female thing sucks! I can't believe I'm thinking this way… I'd feel normal if Akane was around_.'

"I think I'll just stay on the couch tonight," said Ryouga quickly as he avoided looking at Ranma.

"Good idea," said Ranma as she exited the living room as quickly as she could. As she took off her still damp clothes and pulled on her pajamas, the absurd thought continued to faintly echo in the back of her mind.

'_What would that be like if I were my normal self?_'

She finally shrugged it off and turned out the light.

Author's Note: There are so many errors in this story vs. the manga, I don't even care anymore. Did anybody like this chapter? Not much plot involved… It'll come back soon though.


	5. Sushi and Akane

Author's Note: Thank you all for the encouraging reviews! Note that I am not a chef and I don't care the least bit how terribly wrong I may be on how to prepare sushi. I just guessed.

5

Two days later…

Ryouga sat at the kitchen table watching Ranma rush around in an attempt to recreate the sushi she had seen on TV.

"Hand me the cucumber and avocado and I'll chop them," said Ryouga from the table. Ranma tossed him the plate, knife, and the two plants which he easily caught. Ranma quickly spread out the sticky rice on a sheet of dark seaweed.

"I want to finish this before the Tendo's get back from the trip," said Ranma as she shopped off the tentacles of an unhappy looking squid.

"Catch," said Ryouga as he frisbeed the plate of finely cut ingredients into Ranma's hand. Ranma placed the avocado, cucumber, and squid legs on top of the rice and rolled it up in the seaweed. After slicing the roll into bite size pieces, the dish was complete. Ranma set the table and put the food in the refrigerator. She then helped Ryouga to the living room where they would wait for the family's return.

"They're late," said Ranma as she glanced at a clock on the wall.

"The weather has been terrible lately with these little storms coming and going," said Ryouga as he picked up the TV remote, "We should check the weather channel to see if they're stuck in one." Ryouga clicked on the remote but paused on a news channel.

"Ranma, is that…"

"Shampoo!" finished Ranma in disbelief.

Ten police officers were restraining a furious Amazon girl who had blood splattered across the front of her shirt and face.

"A wild girl," said the news reporter, "was seen brutally murdering a man by crushing his head with a massive boulder! Due to the body's extensive trauma and lack of head, the victim has not yet been identified. She made no attempt to hide her vicious act, so it is very probable that the numerous witnesses will guarantee her a ticket to life in prison."

Ryouga turned off the TV.

A Month Later…

Ranma sat on the roof top, watching the ominous grey clouds slowly approaching the town. The sky was already a miserable white, but soon the rain would erupt from the heavens and wash away all the things that didn't need washing away. Ranma's problems couldn't be fixed by a good soaking, so here she was on the roof with Akane, letting the other girl brush her red hair.

"You were unusually quiet on the way home today," said Akane with a worried tone. "Is everything alright? Did something bad happen in school that I didn't see?"

"Upperclassmen Kuno happened."

"Oh no. What'd he do this time?"

"Got me on the lips," said Ranma.

"He did not! Oh Ranma, I'm so sorry! It must have been traumatizing. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, actually."

"You're fine?" she asked in an unsure tone.

"I don't know anymore. It's like having a girl body is making me think like one! I hate it! At the same time I wish I could accept it so it doesn't torture me anymore, but if I do that than I would really be giving up the real me."

Akane paused in her braiding to wait for Ranma to finish.

"Living like a real girl," continued Ranma, "would make me gay. Wouldn't it?"

Akane tied a band around the end of Ranma's braid and moved herself close in front of Ranma. She leaned forward and gave Ranma a single, firm kiss. The short haired girl pulled away and watched the other girl closely for a reaction.

"What was that like for you?" she asked Ranma seriously.

"It was great! It was perfect…" answered Ranma in an unconvincing voice.

Akane leaned forward and looked at Ranma closely. "If this is what you want, kiss me again."

Ranma leaned in to kiss Akane, but she didn't. She couldn't believe it, but kissing Akane seemed wrong. Not wrong morally, but wrong in feeling.

"I can't," said Ranma as she pulled away from Akane.

Akane smiled weakly. "Well that answered your question."

"About being gay?"

"If you're a girl now, and you feel like one, then there's nothing strange about liking guys."

"But I'm a guy! I was born one, and I know I'm one inside!"

The dark clouds were now over head, leaking tiny drops of water onto the roof. Akane stood to leave.

"Forget about being gay, or lesbian, or straight or whatever. You're not just a guy anymore so those rules don't apply to you. Do what feels right, Ranma."

Akane looked away and wiped her eyes before they flooded over.

"Akane, what's wrong?" asked Ranma as she stood up.

"I want you to make the right decision for yourself, but I need to make the right one for me as well. I'm a girl and I like men. Until you find a cure, I think we should cut off the engagement."

"Akane that's ridiculous! You know I'll find a cure. You think I won't?"

"It's been two entire months, Ranma! Nothing that's happened to any of us has ever lasted this long!"

Ranma felt sick from the situation. She wanted to tear herself apart in the hopes that the real Ranma would miraculously be inside.

"I don't think we're going to work out," said Akane as she left the roof.

The agony in Ranma made her feel like she was going to burst as she stood alone in the rain. She finally fell to her knees and threw up, but it didn't relieve her suffering.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ryouga turned his head towards Akane as she passed through the living room and into the kitchen. She returned with a towel and began to dry herself.

"Akane, are your alright?" he asked.

"No. I just broke off the marriage. I feel so terrible about it."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's the reason?"

"I guess I just can't marry another girl. I must be a horrible person for that."

"No you're not," said Ryouga reassuringly, "You shouldn't stick with something if you know you won't be happy with it."

"It meaning Ranma?" asked Akane.

"It meaning the female Ranma."

Akane sighed, "What would you do if you were in my position?"

"It's kind of hard to relate since I'm a guy."

"Well imagine that you love someone that got stuck as a male."

Ryouga smiled, "If the person I loved got trapped as their opposite sex, it wouldn't matter to me. Some people can't bend that far, and that's perfectly fine. But for me personally, I'd do anything for love."

Akane's eyes twinkled. "That's so sweet. I could never be that strong."

"It's alright. Each to their own."


	6. Elevator

Author's Note: Boo hoo! I did not rush that last chapter! And thanks again for your comments! They never get old. Oh, sorry about this chapter being so obnoxiously SHORT! I was going to put it in with the last one but I felt like being annoying to you all! HAHA! Enjoy…

6

Two days later…

Ranma took hold of Ryouga's arm to keep him steady as they walked down a hall in the hospital. Ryouga moved with a bad limp but kept up a good natured expression.

"Must be fantastic to finally have that cast off," said Ranma.

"Yeah. I feel like I'm a little less of a burden to everyone."

They arrived at an elevator and Ranma pressed the 'down' button.

"True," said Ranma jokingly, "You're so much trouble!"

Ryouga smiled. "So when do we get to the training?"

"After you quit with the limping."

"Come on!" protested Ryouga.

"Alright. As long as your leg doesn't hurt, we can train."

The elevator doors opened and they went inside. The doors shut and the room grew a little lighter as they moved down to the main floor.

"I'm going home today," said Ryouga suddenly.

"What?"

"I can function on my own now, so I think it would be best not to wear out my welcome with the Tendos."

At first Ranma wanted to object and beg her friend to stay, but then she remembered her own circumstances with Akane.

"I'm probably going to be leaving too. Now that Akane and I aren't engaged, there's really no point in my being there. It might be a good opportunity to go back to China. The Spring of Drowned Man might solve my issue."

"Sounds like a plan," said Ryouga simply.

"You really think so? Not too dangerous for a chick?" asked Ranma with a teasing voice.

Ryouga laughed and smiled a big, fanged grin. "There's no doubt in my mind that you can handle a little trip through the woods. But there is one thing."

"What's that?"

"Could you wait until I'm healed so I can come with?"

Ranma glared at him as the elevator opened. "So you don't think I can handle it! You big liar!"

Ranma stormed out of the elevator with Ryouga limping after her.

"No, No, I just wouldn't mind getting rid of my curse either, and it would take me a dozen years to find China on my own."

A gentle breeze swept by them as they walked outside. For the first time in weeks it was a clear, blue day.

"That makes sense I guess," admitted Ranma.

Ryouga elbowed Ranma gently in the ribs. "Besides, it would be a lot more fun going with you." He raised his hand in the air and flagged down a taxi, then placed his bag and umbrella in the trunk.

"Come train with me soon," he said, "You're welcome any time."

Ranma felt some embarrassment in asking this, but she really needed to. "Ryouga, I was wondering if I could possibly crash at your place until I find my own. I just feel so weird staying at the Tendo's now. I swear it would only be for a few days-"

"Don't worry about it, Ranma! I told you that you're welcome whenever."

Ranma nearly hugged him but managed to resist. They smiled and shook hands, and Ryouga left.


	7. Sunshine and Drugs

7

1 month later (1 to go)…

Living in Ryouga's home was an entirely different experience from the crazy lifestyle in the Tendo house. It was quiet and empty except for Ranma and Ryouga, but was still comfortable and welcoming in its own unique way.

They had a wealth of uninterrupted training time that helped Ryouga heal at a remarkable speed, until he eventually lost his limp entirely and got back the majority of his strength.

Although attending Ryouga's school made Ranma feel the sting of feminism as an endless supply of guys fell for her, she still hadn't forgotten the true Ranma with Ryouga's support. No matter what she said or how frilly her wardrobe grew, Ryouga still treated her with the same respect as he ever had, and sparred with her with the same effort he always gave.

One sunny morning, the two teens were sparring on the lawn behind the house. They sprung at each other and Ranma managed to leap over Ryouga, kicking him hard in the back. He fell to the ground but was back on his feet and in a fighting stance in an instant, not even bothering to wipe the grass from his pants. They stood in their stances about four yards apart, breathing heavily from the combat. Ranma finally moved her hand to her face as she wiped away a bead of sweat. They continued to fight until the mid day sun was high in sky and then finally retreated into the cool shelter of the house.

Ranma splashed her face with cool water from the kitchen sink while Ryouga poured two glasses of lemon aid. He handed Ranma a glass and leaned against the counter.

"I feel horrible about Shampoo," said Ryouga.

Ranma sipped her drink and watched Ryouga curiously. It was the first time one of them had mentioned Shampoo since they last saw her on TV.

"I needed to tell her," he continued, "If I didn't, she would have been in danger, but by telling her I gave her no choice. I don't think Shampoo is the type to run."

"Do you think it would have been better not to tell her?" asked Ranma. She still didn't know what Ryouga was talking about, but didn't want to disturb his train of thought. It was a rare occasion that he would tell her some clue to what had happened during the missing week in her life.

"It could have been worse if I didn't tell her."

"Then it's settled. You did the right thing by giving her the option to hit or run. She chose to hit. Does this mean you're going to tell me what happened?"

Ryouga opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. "Not yet," he said as he looked out the window, "I don't want to spoil this day."

Ranma sighed and downed the drink. "On another note, I think your training is complete. Your limp is gone and your ribs survived my accidental kick. You wanna leave for China soon?"

"I bet we could leave tomorrow if we start packing now."

There was a knock at the door so Ryouga went to answer it.

"Dr. Tofu! Is everything alright?" asked Ryouga from the living room.

Ranma walked in and was immediately greeted by a joyous Dr. Tofu.

"Ranma, it's good to see you."

"You too Doc," replied Ranma, "What's the occasion? Got any news on the book?"

"No no, I'm passed that. I've been doing some research into your problem and I've come up with this medicine. I'd like you to take it and call me in a day or two. By then it should work and you'll be able to turn back."

Ranma looked at Ryouga. "You hear that Ryo? Toe-foe's got a cure."

"I'm not positive it will work, but there's no harm in trying," said Dr. Tofu as he handed Ranma a bottle of pills.

Ryouga smiled and pushed them both towards the kitchen. "That's great Doctor," he said, "Would you like a drink? Lemon aid?"

"That would be nice, thank you," said the doctor as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

Ranma walked aimlessly around the kitchen while trying to battle the child-proof lid, and accidentally bumped into Ryouga as he poured the drink. The pitcher's contents splashed up and onto Ryouga, transforming him into a tiny black pig. Dr. Tofu's eyes widened as he watched the transformation.

"Ah crap," said Ranma as she filled a glass up with hot water from the sink, "Ryouga has the same curse that I do but he turns into a pig instead of a girl. Don't tell anyone, ok Doc? Ryouga ain't much of a fan of the curse." Ranma poured the hot water on P-Chan who transformed back into Ryouga.

Dr. Tofu raised an eyebrow. "That sure is something."

"Please don't tell anyone, Doctor," said Ryouga nervously, "It's a shameful curse."

Dr. Tofu stood up and patted Ryouga on the shoulder. "I'm a doctor. Confidentiality is a specialty. I should be going now, so Ranma, give me a ring if the medicine works for you." The doctor went to leave but paused at before leaving the kitchen. "Ranma, I'm sorry about what happened with you and Akane."

Ranma shrugged. "It's ok."

Dr. Tofu smiled and left the house.

"Well this rocks," said Ranma as she opened the bottle. Ryouga grabbed the bottle from her before she got out a pill. "Hey, what's the deal?" she asked annoyed.

"Don't take it," said Ryouga as he closed the lid, "I have another theory on your problem and… well I just want you to trust me and not take the pills."

Ranma took back the bottle and frowned. "You have a theory and you didn't tell me?"

Ryouga looked away and said nothing.

"Answer me, Ryouga!" yelled Ranma, "I'm beyond being sick of all your secrets!"

"Do you trust me or not?" retorted Ryouga.

Ranma stared at her friend for what seemed like an eternity before placing the bottle on the counter. "I trust you," she answered without smiling. She walked to the kitchen door and turned back. "We should get packing. I want to leave tomorrow as planned."

She left the room and went upstairs, leaving Ryouga alone in the sunny kitchen. He looked out the window to find comfort in the beauty of the day, but he could find none. Shampoo had killed one of them, but there was still another monster of a human roaming freely in the world. Ryouga walked to the back door and secured the lock.

Author's Note: Poll: Do you think Dr. Tofu's medicine would work?


	8. Through His Eyes

8

He had many favorite places. He liked the park, the Cat Café was also lovely, and the school was one of the most enjoyable places to walk by. His favorite place to relax was just outside of town; it was a lovely old, three story apartment building. It was occupied only by one old woman on the first floor that was too deaf to hear the blood-curdling screams of his sacrifices on the third story.

He walked up the creaky stairs to the abandoned apartment and undid his hand made lock. The bedroom was lined with a dirty wall paper whose colors had faded to an unidentifiable hue. The room was slightly stuffy and filled with the aroma of burning incense on the altar at the far end. Below the altar was an old box spring mattress that he had found in the house. He took pride in the leather restraints that he had dedicated so much time to design. On the mattress was a new sacrificial offering he had picked up the day earlier. A pig was bound by its legs, squealing pitifully. He knelt before it and bowed to the goddess sculpture on the altar, then pulled a long blade from his robes. He slowly slit the throat of the pig, draining its blood into a goblet. The man drank of its contents and raised his hands in the air, thanking his goddess.

"Oh great Mistress of Narough-Gateh, let this offering flow through my body so I may fulfill your wishes, so I may humble those fools who believe life is but a curse. May you always take pleasure in their suffering, and may you joyously laugh at their ignorance thereafter. My latest game is not going as planned; Ranma has gone to China with a friend who I fear knows too much for his good. I worry that he may tell her what went on, thus breaking the memory spell. I will not fail you though! I will take up arms and slaughter them both. They will be a glorious sacrifice in your honor."

Author's Note: OMFG so short… more to come.


	9. Bubbly Foam

AN: Soooo sorry for the lack of updates! School is murder. Well here you go… This is the first part of my favorite part of the story. I've been thinking about it ever since I began writing. Things are going to start coming together, and STUFF! Enjoy!

9

"…and, and so Happosai ends up standing at the bus stop for four days waiting for her!" says Ranma as Ryouga bursts out laughing for the twentieth time. "The chick shows up and she looks nothing like the photo. She was so hideous that Happosai went into mourning!"

Ryouga flopped to the ground laughing then held his ribs as he winced. "You got to stop with the Jokes, Ranma!" He wiped the laugh tears from his eyes. "You're going to break my ribs again!"

Ranma looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I broke your ribs in the first place?"

Ryouga sighed. "Nah." He picked up an orange flower and held it to his nose. "China is gorgeous, isn't it?"

Ranma dropped her pack beside Ryouga and leaned back to crack her spine. The forest was a luscious array of greens with the occasional colored flower or wild animal. Ranma looked up through the trees at a grassy green mountain ahead of them.

"You recognize that hill?"

"Yeah, we're not far. The magic springs are on the other side."

"Want to get going then?"

Ranma shrugged. "It's a big mountain. Let's wait till tomorrow."

Ryouga looked closely for a hint in Ranma's expression. "It's not like you to postpone things, especially something this fantastic. Aren't you excited?"

Ranma looked at her feet, unsure what to say. Finding the 'spring of drowned man' had been her biggest goal ever since she first got the curse, but now the circumstances had changed. She still wanted to become herself again and be able to beat her opponents as easily as she once had, but the glorious feeling of it had faded.

"You don't have to do it, Ranma."

Ranma looked at him surprised. "What?"

"You can stay as you are if it makes you happy. Is this what you want?"

"Is this what _you_ want?"

Ryouga looked taken aback. "I uh… why does it matter? This isn't about me at all."

"It isn't?" asked Ranma.

Ryouga was getting flustered. "Did… did you think it was about me? Why would it be about me?"

Ranma went to answer, but the words wouldn't pass her lips. "I... yeah this is confusing. Let's just forget it. Hey look!" Ranma pointed to the woods in an attempt to change the subject. "I think there's a hot spring over there. Let's set up camp here and then go for a swim. Sound fun?"

Ryouga shook his head at her pitiful subject-changing attempt. "Sound's fine to me."

They set up a pile of wood for a fire and decided to wait to light it until after the swim. They dropped their bags and faced opposite directions to change. Ranma pulled on a pair of boy shorts and a strapless bikini top, and stood in silence as Ryouga continued to change. She wondered what took him so long. It had to be either the numerous bandanas, or the strings tied around his pants. She turned her head and glanced at him. He had finished changing and was stuffing clothes in his bag. She stared at his bare back with a mixture of admiration and envy.

'I wonder if I was that hot as a guy,' she thought to herself, 'whoa, I just called Ryouga _hot_! Okay, no harm in saying that. I'm just observing! It doesn't mean anything.' She glanced at him again as he adjusted the bandana on his head. 'He needs a haircut so badly, although I kind of like it that way- erg, stop it! Stop it! Shut your brain! ' She slapped herself on the cheek.

Ryouga quickly turned around from the noise. "Did you just slap yourself?" asked Ryouga.

"No!"

"Yes you did! You're a weird one, Ranma," said Ryouga as he started walking into the woods. He stopped in his tracks as a hand wrapped around his wrist. He turned slowly to meet Ranma's mocking eyes.

"Wrong way, genius." She said as she started walking in the opposite direction. Ryouga sighed and followed after.

"Ooh hot! This feels great," exclaimed Ranma as she slid into the steaming water. Ryouga got in a few feet away and handed her a shampoo bottle. She poured some onto her head and passed it back. Ryouga lifted it over his head and as he squeezed the bottle, the cap shot off and the entire contents covered his head.

"AARGH, Ranma! You unscrewed the cap!"

Ranma burst out laughing and attacked Ryouga, and after a few minutes of struggling, half the hot spring was covered with thick, bubbly foam. Ranma went back to her original spot and wiped the foam away from her still grinning face. She looked back at the pouting Ryouga, who had a crown of bubbles on his head. The sunlight shining through the trees slowly disappeared as a solitary rain cloud floated above them.

"Damn," said Ranma as she scowled at the cloud. "I think it's going to rain."

A second later it was pouring, coaxing them to find shelter by swimming to a deeper part of the water."

"Oh crap," said Ryouga, "Our stuff is going to get soaked. If the wood gets wet we'll never get a fire started." Ryouga started to get out of the water but was held back by Ranma.

"I don't think P-Chan can pitch a tent," said Ranma as she pointed to the rain cloud. "I'll set it up and be right back."

Ranma ran through the forest to the camp site and pulled a tarp and rope from her pack. With amazing speed, she tied four corners of the tarp to different trees, sheltering the wood pile and their bags. She noticed that Ryouga had left his pack open, and the clothes on the top had gotten soaked. She pulled them out and laid them on a rock to dry, then noticed a paper bag nestled in the pack. Curiosity struck her, and she pulled out the paper bag and examined it.

'He wouldn't mind,' she told herself, 'Not like he would do anything if he didn't mind. He lets me get away with anything.' With that confidence, she opened the bag and pulled out a box. She felt her heart begin to speed, and her stomach tighten and twist. Ryouga appeared from the trees, with a towel keeping him dry.

"Hey, Ranma. Nice handy work with the tarp. Should I help you set up the ten-" he stopped what he was saying as he looked at the box in Ranma's hands. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"Why would you… is this for me?" Ranma looked at him with a fearful expression.

…

TBC…

…

Author's Note: If any of you know what's going on, DON'T SAY IT! SHHHHH! Ooh, I'm so excited about the next chapter. Basically, SHIT HAPPENS! It's explicit. I'm going to have to change the rating to Mature. 


	10. Darkness and the Box

Warning: Mature content... kind of.

10

Ranma's hands shook as she clenched the box. "You better do some explaining, Ryouga. I'm fed up with your silence."

Ryouga kneeled down under the tarp, keeping his distance from Ranma. Ranma sat down and listened as Ryouga told her the details of the story. As Ranma heard the words, the memories flooded back into her head. She closed her eyes, remembering what had happened.

….

Ranma and P-Chan ran along the fence, hurrying to school. Ranma turned her head as a grey van drove up beside them. The door slid open and an array of chains shot out at her. They flung around her arms and legs, pulling her to the side walk with a crash. P-Chan squealed and jumped down, but could not remove the chains. A masked figure jumped from the van and pulled Ranma inside, P-Chan sneaking into her backpack.

"I couldn't help you as a pig, so I thought I could stay with you in hiding and find hot water eventually," said Ryouga as he continued to tell the story. Ranma's memory added a little more with each of his words, the spell miraculously unfolding.

The man pulled off his mask and smiled down at Ranma before taping her mouth closed. Mousse leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"My dear Shampoo," he said with an eerie gentleness. "I'm sorry it had to come to this. If only you could have loved me." Ranma growled her rage at him, cursing him for his pathetic mind and his impaired sight. He pressed a chloroform-drenched cloth to her face, and she passed out.

The revolting smell of dried blood awakened her, and she opened her eyes to find herself strapped to a blood stained mattress in a small room. Ranma shook her restraints but it was useless. Her muscles were weak, probably from some kind of drug. Her backpack, which was set against the wall, began to move. P-Chan jumped out from inside and pulled off the tape from her mouth with his teeth.

"Ryouga, what the hell is happening!" said Ranma loudly. P-Chan stopped tugging at the restraints and pressed his nose against her mouth to silence her.

"It was the only thing I could think of to get you to shut up," said Ryouga as he continued the story.

Ranma and P-Chan turned their heads as Mousse and a different masked man came through the door of the dingy room. P-Chan jumped behind the mattress, hiding himself from view.

"I brought Shampoo as you instructed me to," said Mousse as the masked man looked down and examined Ranma.

"I'm not Sh-" before Ranma could finish, the masked man re-taped her mouth. He raised an eyebrow, and she could tell he was grinning beneath the mask. She understood that he knew who she was.

"Yes you have," lied the stranger to Mousse. "Now you must take her, and then the goddess will bless her with true sight, so she may understand your love."

Mousse looked at the statue, and then at Ranma. "It just doesn't seem right that she would love me for this," said Mousse with skepticism. The masked man faced him and swung hard at his face, knocking him to the ground. He performed a martial art move that Ranma didn't recognize; it was an unusual strike to Mousse's lower back that caused him to cry out in pain. The man flipped Mousse around and hit him the same way on his chest, and on his neck, each blow causing him to cry out. The masked man grabbed him by his hair and pulled their faces close together.

"You will not insult the Narough-Gateh goddess with your pitiful doubt! You remember what I taught you." The man pressed on Mousse's forehead with his ring and middle fingers, causing Mousse's eyelids to flutter, and his eyes to go into a trance-like state.

"Yes master."

Mousse crawled over to Ranma and began to unbutton her pants. Ranma shook and growled, trying to knee him in the face. P-Chan jumped from behind the mattress and bit Mousse hard on the hand. Mousse shook him off, swinging him to the center of the room. The masked man aimed for the opened closet, and kicked P-Chan as hard as he could inside of it.

"So he kicked me into the closet," continued Ryouga with not more but a hint of bitterness, "he shut the door and locked me in. I tried to get up but the pain where he kicked me was terrible. I knew my ribs were broken, and hitting the back of the closet had broken my hind leg. It was horrible not being able to help you, and I was so close! The rest I heard from the closet." Ranma looked at Ryouga as the knot in her stomach tightened.

"That's how you got hurt. You tried to help me. It was my fault."

"Shut up Ranma," said Ryouga with anger. "It wasn't your fault, and I don't feel like wasting time fighting with you about it."

The spell had been broken, and the rest of the memories came flooding back to her.

Mousse continued to take off her pants, and then the rest of her clothes. She fought hard, only to have the masked man jab a needle into her neck, weakening her further. Pain and humiliation burned into her flesh as Mousse climbed onto her. Tears streamed down the sides of her face as her virginity was strangled. Time passed at a speed Ranma couldn't recognize. The window was covered, so there was nothing to tell her how long it had been. Mousse finally stopped when the masked man instructed him to.

Everything was blurry to Ranma, but her hearing had not gone. She heard the masked man unlock the closet door.

"The pig is gone. Oh well. It's just a pig. Too stupid to be a liability."

"What happened to you, Ryouga?" asked Ranma as she hugged her knees. The rain slowed to a trickle, tapping the tarp in a sad, rhythmic way.

"I found a laundry shoot on the side of the closet. I slid through it hoping that I could find help. I must have slid down a few stories before I fell into a pile of woman's garments, and then was found by this deaf, old lady. I was counting on her taking me to a vet, but she was the home-heal type. She put this stupid splint on my leg that didn't do anything, and she didn't notice my ribs at all. I was stuck with her for days without a way to escape until she gave me a bath. She almost had a heart attack when I transformed in her sink. I used her phone and called the police, and they came and checked upstairs. The bastards must have known they were coming and hid everything, because the place was clear when they checked it. I was brought to the hospital where I stayed until you came. I don't know what else happened to you after I left."

Ranma felt her eyes flooding with tears as she looked at Ryouga. "What you told me must have been enough to destroy the spell, because I remember everything."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Ryouga with extreme caution.

"The man with the mask just kept telling Mousse to repeat it. He chanted, and then called Mousse into the room, and it continued that way maybe two or three times that day. It went on every day until the man performed some kind of memory ritual on me, and then put me to sleep. I woke on the sidewalk, and that was it."

Ranma felt the tears fall down her cheeks as she looked at the box in her hands, a pregnancy test kit. All this time Ryouga had known it was a possibility.

"I wasn't sure if that was the real reason," said Ryouga. "I thought maybe if you weren't pregnant, whatever the Narough-Gateh man did would be undone by the 'drowned man spring'. I hoped that we could try it first so maybe this could be avoided."

"That's why you didn't want me to take the Doctor's medicine. You thought it might accidentally hurt… it, if I really was pregnant."

"The pig boy is a smart one!" said a voice from the trees. "That was actually the purpose of the medicine in the first place. If I killed the baby, then you would never realize you were pregnant. Ryouga would never have to tell you, and the spell would have never been broken. It's really a shame."

Ranma looked wide eyed at Dr. Tofu.


	11. Unmasked

This chapter was edited in the middle. I indicated where it was edited, so just scroll down and you'll find it.

11

"You're…"

"…The oh-so-mysterious 'masked man'? I'm afraid so," said the Doctor with sick casualty.

Ryouga stood up and went at the Doctor, but Ranma stopped him.

"Why would you do all this?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"The work of the Narough-Gateh is not too specific. We create havoc for the hell of it. I used Mousse's desires and his weak mind to create a monster."

"You brain washed him, you son of a bitch!" growled Ryouga.

"I suppose you could call it brain washing," said the doctor, "He was a rather decent fellow before hand. Too bad Shampoo killed him."

"But you knew it was me," said Ranma as she stood next to Ryouga. "Why did you lie to Mousse?"

Dr. Tofu adjusted his glasses, keeping a smile on his face. "I didn't expect him to bring you, but there was no harm in changing the plan. I thought it would make things interesting."

In a fury, Ryouga ran at Dr. Tofu.

"No!" yelled Ranma as the Doctor pulled a kettle from behind his back and splashed Ryouga. He changed into P-Chan and jumped back.

"Ryouga, go to the hot spring!" Ranma pointed in the right direction and P-Chan ran. Ranma started to run after but was tackled to the ground by Dr. Tofu. He punched her hard on the face, splitting her lip.

"Get offa me!" she screamed, but it was useless. He pointed two fingers at her stomach, and jabbed hard, sending shooting pains through her body. "Aah, stop it! Get off!" she screamed again. He struck her over and over until she finally threw him off. She turned onto her stomach and tried to stand but he came back at her, stepping on her back to pin her down. The pain in her stomach grew until she thought she would pass out.

"Maybe if you're cooperative," said Dr. Tofu in a frustrated tone, "I can erase you and your lover's memory and you can go on your merry way to the magic springs. Sound good?"

Ranma looked up to see a closed umbrella shooting through the air like a rocket. It hit the Doctor's neck, making a loud snapping sound. His head twisted in an impossible direction and he fell to the ground.

Ryouga ran to Ranma and held her, but she was already unconscious. He lifted her in his arms and began to run towards the mountain. Although his direction was bad, the mountain was clearly visible.

"Please be alright, please be alright," begged Ryouga as he carried her up the mountain. "I have to take you to the 'drowned man spring'. Then we'll know if the bastard hurt it. If you change…" Ryouga pushed the idea from his mind as he climbed. He felt Ranma's hand lift to his shoulder.

"Ryo," she said softly, "It's still alive. It has to be."

"Jusenkyo Guide!" yelled Ryouga as he reached the guide's home. The guide ran outside.

"May I help?"

"Take me to the "spring of drowned man".

The guide bowed and led them to the spring, then left them alone. Ryouga waded into the water, feeling a slight change in his own body. He said a silent prayer before lowering Ranma into the water. She transformed.

The male Ranma opened his eyes and pulled the bikini top off. He looked at the water.

"He killed it," said Ranma. Ranma stayed silent for what felt like an eternity.

EDIT…

Ryouga looked at the other boy, afraid to comfort him, afraid to even breathe. He knew their friendship would never be the same, and anything more was unthinkable. He had failed to keep Ranma safe, failed him as a friend. For that, there was no reason for Ranma to ever love him.

"I wish I could change everything," said Ryouga, "If I wasn't that damned pig I could have stopped Mousse from kidnapping you. None of this would have happened."

"It's not your fault. I just can't believe I was pregnant. I never even imagined something like this was possible. And it was Mousse's baby of all things. I would have never guessed."

Ryouga thought for a moment, picking out his words with the greatest care. "Some people would have wanted it dead if they had been… forced. You didn't though. I heard you speak when I carried you up the mountain. You were hopeful that it survived. I'm… I'm glad you're not the type that would want to condemn a baby for the actions of a parent."

Ranma shrugged. "Not like that made a difference anyway. It's gone." Ranma turned and looked sternly into Ryouga's eyes. "You kept that child a secret for four whole months."

Ryouga looked away with shame. "I hadn't thought of it for the first two, and still I wasn't sure, but yes. I kept it secret. I didn't want to suggest it unless I was sure, because I didn't want to tell you what happened. I was afraid to see your face the way it is now. It… it breaks me." Like water pressure tearing through the concrete of a dam, Ryouga finally opened. "I've loved you forever, Ranma! Before the curse, before Dr. Tofu ruined everything, and I will never stop. I'm sorry, I just can't stop."

Ranma looked at his friend. His brown eyes were powerful, but gentle as well. He remembered the old days, when Ryouga fought with him for Akane. At those times Ryouga's eyes looked angry and cold, but now Ranma could really understand them. It may have looked to him like anger and jealousy, but never had Ryouga looked at Akane the way he did at Ranma, with happiness, sadness, anger or love. It was all for Ranma.

Ranma felt his insides twist as a million emotions clashed at once. He stood from the spring and ran out of sight. Ryouga got up to follow but stopped himself.

'Ryouga, you idiot!' he cursed himself. He paced back and fourth, pausing to watch the mocking sun descend behind the hills. It grew dark and still Ranma didn't return. It was time for Ryouga to go home.

TBC…

Author's Note: There is a line the width of a high way road dividing flaming and CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. If you have any constructive criticism (that's polite), or any other friendly comments, I'd love to hear them!


	12. Back at Home

So the first four months has past, but the story is not yet over… SHRUGS! WARNING! Any flamers will get something shoved up their ass. I'll give you each your own special item. Everyone else, please enjoy!

12

Ryouga dragged his feet as he walked through his home town. The afternoon sun gave birth to dozens of shadows, outstretched across the blacktop on the road. It had been three months since he had last seen Ranma in China, and much had happened since. He had notified the police about Dr. Tofu. After a second investigation of the third story apartment, the police declared Shampoo's situation to be one of self defense, so they cleared her of all charges. He looked up at the clouds of orange and yellow and sighed. He had called Akane to see if Ranma had arrived safely, only to be told that Ranma hadn't arrived at all. Since that call, he hadn't gotten a good night's rest.

Although his town was not a terribly large one, the sky had become a dark blue by the time he reached his home. Ryouga paused at his front door and looked up as a shooting star passed in the corner of his eye. The sky was incredibly clear, with a heavy dusting of twinkling stars. He shrugged it off and let himself in the door, to be greeted by the echoing emptiness of his home. He was pretty sure it had been a year since the family had all been home at the same time. He dropped his bag onto the floor without bothering to turn on the lights, and trudged up the stairs and down the hall to his room. Ryouga had almost reached his bedroom door when he heard the faint rustling of sheets. He backed up a few paces to the guest room and quietly pushed open the door.

'Ranma,' he breathed as he watched his favorite person turn over in bed. Ryouga tried to be silent as he closed the door but the hinges let loose a terrible moan just before the knob clicked.

"Ryouga?" said Ranma from inside the room. Ryouga opened the door again and walked in. Ranma sat up and pulled the cord of a bedside lamp, illuminating the room with a gentle yellow glow.

"I came back to find you," said Ranma, "but of course I had to wait for what? Five months?"

"Three."

Ranma watched Ryouga as he sat on a chair by the bed. "It felt longer than that."

Ryouga gave a small smile and nodded at Ranma. "I see you've changed your mind about the Jusenkyo springs."

Ranma looked down awkwardly at her female shape. "I guess I just got used to having options."

Ryouga smiled again and stood up to leave the room. "I'm pretty tired from the journey, Ranma. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Ranma stood quickly from the bed as Ryouga reached for the door knob.

"Ryouga, wait!"

Ryouga turned around.

"Don't you want to know why I decided to go back to having the curse? Aren't you curious?"

"Of course I am," answered Ryouga, "but I thought you'd tell me if you wanted to, and so you are."

Ranma rolled her eyes and stared at him.

"Are you going to tell me or what?" he teased, "You're acting like a total girl, Ranma."

Ranma moved a bit closer to Ryouga and locked his eyes in a gaze. "I can't stop either," she said sweetly.

Ryouga stared down at her, confused. "What?"

"The last thing you said to me was that you loved me, and that you couldn't stop."

Ryouga felt his stomach twist slightly.

"So you're saying-"

"I love you too."

Ranma grabbed the front of Ryouga's collar and pulled him in to kiss him, but he quickly moved away.

"Ranma, are you positive this is what you want?"

Ranma shook her head. "I've been waiting for you at your house for three months, Ryouga. I've had enough time to make up my mind."

"But aren't you still angry?"

"No! Do you want me to be angry?"

"No…"

"Ok then. Are you going to kiss me or what?"

Ryouga grinned and lifted Ranma off her feet.

"Woh, hey!" she laughed. She put a hand on Ryouga's cheek and leaned in, kissing him gently. She smiled as she looked at his face, adoring the way he kept his eyes closed, how he savored the moment like it was heaven on earth. Ryouga opened his eyes only for a moment before Ranma kissed him again, this time letting her tongue slide into his mouth. His stomach turned over as she explored the inside, paying special attention to his pointed fangs. He loved how she felt on him, how they seemed to fit together perfectly. Without breaking the gaze, Ryouga carried Ranma out of the guest room and into his, shutting the door behind him.

TBC…


	13. Surprise Surprise

AN: It's terribly short! D-o-n-t mention it. Any more would be bull shit that would take away from the story.

13

The room was frigid when Ranma awoke the next morning. She moved herself closer to Ryouga to stay warm, and in response he wrapped an arm around her.

"Morning," he said as he opened his eyes.

Ranma gave him a kiss and smiled. "You sleep alright?"

Ryouga looked up at a clock on the wall and shrugged. "We only slept for about three hours. Is it cold in here to you, Ranma?"

"I was just going to mention that."

Ryouga looked at the opened window and sat up but Ranma stopped him. "I'm going to take a shower so I'll close the window while I'm up."

Ranma wrapped herself in one of the sheets and tiptoed over to the window, shutting it with a shiver. Ryouga smiled at her as she walked to the door. She paused and looked at him with a devious grin.

"You know Ryouga; your shower's pretty big. Think you could handle me in hot water?"

Ryouga blushed furiously. "Possibly."

"Good, I'll start the shower."

Ryouga could hear the sound of rushing water followed by a startling scream. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Ranma! What happened?"

Ryouga's eyes widened as he watched the unchanging, female Ranma stand in steaming, shower water.

"This is your fault!" she yelled at him.

Ryouga laughed. "And it isn't yours?"

Ranma sighed and leaned against the shower wall.

"I was enjoying being my old male self these past few months. Now I'll have to wait another nine."

Ryouga stepped into the shower and pulled Ranma into a hug. Warm water showered over them as they held each other in silence.

"I love you, Ryo," said Ranma into Ryouga's chest.

He smiled and kissed her cheek in response.

"This is going to be so much fun," he said.

TBC… (Epilogue next)


	14. Epilogue

14 Epilogue

Sixteen years later…

Every head in the classroom turned to the door as an unfamiliar face entered. He was tall and fit, with black hair and alluring blue eyes. The teacher took his pass and welcomed him in.

"Class, this is Ryoichi Hibiki, our new student. Ryoichi, I assign a worksheet to each new student to fill out and use for a little speech to introduce themselves."

Ryoichi grimaced.

The teacher handed him the worksheet and pointed to an empty desk. "We'll take a break before the end of the period for your speech."

'What a retarted policy,' he thought as he took a seat. 'Filling out a worksheet for a speech!' He looked down at the questions. 'What's the meaning of my name if I know it? Where was I born? Do I have any hobbies? What's my favorite aspect of my family…' He rolled his eyes and began to write.

Before an hour was up, he was directed to the front of the classroom. He stood up straight, unafraid of the many eyes on him.

"As you know, my name is Ryoichi. 'Ryoichi' means 'first son of Ryo' which makes sense because my pop's name is Ryouga. I was born in Japan, and grew up there until now. I practice martial arts a lot since my parents started a dojo here in China. Um… my favorite aspect of my family is the fact that we're all so weird. I have two dads and a mom, but only two parents, and my grandpa can turn into a panda."

The class stared in silence, making Ryoichi's fortress of confidence weaken slightly.

The teacher decided to intervene. "Class, do we have any questions for Ryoichi?"

Every hand flew up. The teacher pointed to a nerdy boy in the front.

"How do you speak such great Chinese if you lived in Japan your whole life?"

Ryoichi smiled. "I was taught Chinese by an Amazon warrior; a friend of my parents'." The teacher pointed at a short haired girl in the back.

The girl stood up to speak. "Why are you missing an arm?"

Once again Ryoichi was left in a pounding silence. He looked down at his left arm, which ended just above the elbow. With his right hand he touched the scar on his cheek. His face brightened and he gave the girl a fanged grin.

"You ever hear of the Narough-Gateh?"

A few people gasped or whispered to one another, and the teacher looked lightening struck.

The girl stared at Ryoichi nervously. "We studied the cult in history class. Did you get attacked by one?"

"Yup," said Ryoichi nonchalantly, "But it's no biggie. I'm kind of used to getting attacked by them."

The teacher looked at him skeptically. "It's a rare thing to meet one of the cult, and even more rare to meet one outside of China."

"Well my parents had some kind of quarrel with one of the cult members back in the day and ever since then our family has been getting attacked. My parents trained me, and now I can defend myself pretty well."

The bell rang and the students bustled to gather their books and leave the classroom. As she left, the short haired girl gave Ryoichi a shy smile. Another boy patted him on the back.

"Righteous, Dude. You are SO the man."

Ryoichi smiled as he watched the boy leave. 'Well that went well,' he thought as he picked up his own books.

As he walked through the hall, he thought about his family's situation. The only way to stop the Narough-Gateh for good was to kill the source, the cult leader. It would be all the easier by moving to China, and all the quicker with him exploiting himself as he just had. As Ryoichi thought about the battles he would soon face, confidence swelled in his chest.

It almost immediately diminished as he recalled a part of his own speech. 'My parents had some kind of quarrel with one of the cult members back in the day.' It bothered him that they hadn't told him what happened. The family friends, Akane and her family, swore they didn't know, and his own Chinese language teacher, Shampoo, kept her lips sealed about the situation. Ryouga had him meditating and learning defensive arts, while Ranma taught him offense techniques. Any time he asked about the occurrence, they would divert his attention with training.

Ryoichi knew there were more important things to concentrate on, so for now he shrugged it off.

TEH END…

AN: Folks, thank you for all the supportive comments! I'd love to hear what you have to say about this, so please review! Just remember, the story is mine, not yours, so don't tell me to change it or try to insult me. If you think there's an actual problem (something I forgot) then please tell me so I can fix it. Thank you all so much again! 


End file.
